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Taking in the Good: Building Resilience into the Brain through Positive Experiences

How the brain evolved a “negativity bias” that continually looks for, reacts to, and stores negative experiences; how this shapes the interior landscape of the mind, leading to pessimism, depressed and anxious mood, and over-reactions; the neural machinery of memory; how to “trick” that machinery into weaving positive experiences into the brain and the self, leading to greater resilience, happiness, and interpersonal effectiveness; applications to particular situations, including healing trauma, cooperation with medical or psychological treatment, and raising or teaching children.

Taking in the Good: Building Resilience into the Brain through Positive Experiences

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Taking in the Good:Building Resilience into the Brain Through Positive Experiences Living and Leading with Resilience Conference George Mason University, April 13, 2012 Rick Hanson, Ph.D. The Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom WiseBrain.org RickHanson.net drrh@comcast.net 1

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All cells have specialized functions. Brain cells have particular ways of processing information and communicating with each other. Nerve cells form complete circuits that carry and transform information.Electrical signaling represents the language of mind, the means whereby nerve cells, the building blocks of the brain, communicate with one another over great distances. Nerve cells generate electricity as a means of producing messages.All animals have some form of mental life that reﬂects the architecture of their nervous system. 7 Eric R. Kandel

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Why Attention Matters In the “stage” of awareness, attention is like a spotlight, illuminating what it rests upon. Because neuroplasticity is heightened for what we pay attention to, attention is also like a vacuum cleaner, sucking its contents into the brain. Directing attention skillfully is therefore a fundamental way to shape the brain - and one’s life - over time. 19

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The education of attentionwould be the education par excellence. William James 20

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How to Take in the Good1. Look for positive facts, and let them become positive experiences.2. Savor the positive experience:  Sustain it for 10-20-30 seconds.  Feel it in your body and emotions.  Intensify it.3. Sense and intend that the positive experience is soaking into your brain and body - registering deeply in emotional memory. 23

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Kinds of “Good” to Take in The small pleasures of ordinary life The satisfaction of attaining goals or recognizing accomplishments - especially small, everyday ones Feeling grateful, contented, and fulfilled Things are alright; nothing is wrong; there is no threat Feeling safe and strong The peace and relief of forgiveness Being included, valued, liked, respected, loved by others The good feelings that come from being kind, fair, generous Feeling loving Recognizing your positive character traits Spiritual or existential realizations 25

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Why It’s Good to Take in the Good Rights an unfair imbalance, given the negativity bias Gives oneself today the caring and support one should have received as a child, but perhaps didn’t get in full measure; an inherent, implicit benefit Increases positive resources, such as:  Positive emotions  Capacity to manage stress and negative experiences Can help bring in missing “supplies” (e.g., love, strength, worth) Can help painful, even traumatic experiences 27

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The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good. Bertrand Russell 28

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“Anthem” Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in That’s how the light gets in Leonard Cohen 29

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Home Base of the Human BrainWhen not threatened, ill, in pain, hungry, upset, or chemically disturbed, most people settle into being: Peaceful (the Avoid system) Happy (the Approach system) Loving (the Attach system) This is the brain in its natural, Responsive mode. 35

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But to Cope with Urgent Needs,We Leave Home . . . Avoid: When we feel threatened or harmed Approach: When we can’t attain important goals Attach: When we feel isolated, disconnected, unseen, unappreciated, unloved This is the brain in its Reactive mode of functioning - a kind of inner homelessness. 38

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Negativity Bias: Causes in Evolution “Sticks” - Predators, natural hazards, social aggression, pain (physical and psychological) “Carrots” - Food, sex, shelter, social support, pleasure (physical and psychological) During evolution, avoiding “sticks” usually had more effects on survival than approaching “carrots.”  Urgency - Usually, sticks must be dealt with immediately, while carrots allow a longer approach.  Impact - Sticks usually determine mortality, carrots not; if you fail to get a carrot today, you’ll likely have a chance at a carrot tomorrow; but if you fail to avoid a stick today - whap! 42 - no more carrots forever.

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A Major Result of the Negativity Bias:Threat Reactivity Two mistakes:  Thinking there is a tiger in the bushes when there isn’t one.  Thinking there is no tiger in the bushes when there is one. We evolved to make the first mistake a hundred times to avoid making the second mistake even once. This evolutionary tendency is intensified by temperament, personal history, culture, and politics. Threat reactivity affects individuals, couples, families, organizations, nations, and the world as a whole. 43

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A Poignant TruthMother Nature is tilted toward producing gene copies.But tilted against personal quality of life.And at the societal level, we have caveman/cavewoman brains armed with nuclear weapons.What shall we do? 44

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We can deliberately use the mindto change the brain for the better. 45